A party, headed by captain Clarke, go in quest of a whale
driven on the shore of the Pacific to obtain some of the
oil--they pass Clatsop river, which is described--the perilous
nature of this jaunt, and the grandeur of the scenery
described--Indian mode of extracting whale oil--the life
of one of captain Clarke’s party preserved by the kindness
of an Indian woman--a short account of the Chinnooks, of
the Clatsops, Killamucks, the Lucktons, and an enumeration
of several other tribes--the manner of sepulchre among the
Chinnooks, Clatsops, &c.--description of their weapons of war
and hunting--their mode of building houses--their manufactures,
and cookery--their mode of making canoes--their great dexterity
in managing that vehicle.
Tuesday, 7. There was a frost this morning. We rose early, and taking
eight pounds of flesh, which were all the remains of the elk, proceeded
up the south fork of the creek. At the distance of two miles we found a
pine tree, which had been felled by one of our saltmakers, and on which
we crossed the deepest part of the creek, and waded through the rest.
We then went over an open ridgy prairie, three quarters of a mile, to
the seabeach; after following which for three miles, we came to the
mouth of a beautiful river, with a bold, rapid current, eighty-five
yards wide, and three feet deep, in its shallowest crossings. On its
northeast side are the remains of an old village of Clatsops, inhabited
by only a single family, who appeared miserably poor and dirty. We gave
a man two fish-hooks, to ferry the party over the river, which, from
the tribe on its banks, we called Clatsop river. The creek, which we
had passed on a tree, approaches this river within about an hundred
yards, and by means of a portage, supplies a communication with the
villages near Point Adams. After going on for two miles, we found the
saltmakers encamped near four houses of Clatsops and Killamucks,
who, though poor, dirty, and covered with fleas, seemed kind and well
disposed. We persuaded a young Indian, by a present of a file, and a
promise of some other articles, to guide us to the spot where the whale
lay. He led us for two and a half miles over the round slippery stones
at the foot of a high hill projecting into the sea, and then suddenly
stopping, and uttering the word peshack or bad, explained by signs
that we could no longer follow the coast, but must cross the mountain.
This promised to be a most laborious undertaking, for the side is
nearly perpendicular, and the top lost in clouds. He, however, followed
an Indian path which wound along as much as possible, but still the
ascent was so steep, that at one place we drew ourselves for about
an hundred feet by means of bushes and roots. At length, after two
hours labour, we reached the top of the mountain, where we looked down
with astonishment on the prodigious height of ten or twelve hundred
feet, which we had ascended. Immediately below us, in the face of this
precipice, is a stratum of white earth, used, as our guide informed us,
as a paint by the neighbouring Indians. It obviously contains argile,
and resembles the earth of which the French porcelaine is made, though
whether it contains silex or magnesia, or in what proportions, we could
not observe. We were here met by fourteen Indians, loaded with oil and
blubber, the spoils of the whale, which they were carrying in very
heavy burdens, over this rough mountain. On leaving them, we proceeded
over a bad road till night, when we encamped on a small run: we were
all much fatigued, but the weather was pleasant, and, for the first
time since our arrival here, an entire day has passed without rain. In
the morning,
Wednesday, 8, we set out early and proceeded to the top of the
mountain, the highest point of which is an open spot facing the ocean.
It is situated about thirty miles southeast of cape Disappointment,
and projects nearly two and a half miles into the sea. Here one of the
most delightful views in nature presents itself. Immediately in front
is the ocean, which breaks with fury on the coast, from the rocks of
cape Disappointment as far as the eye can discern to the northwest, and
against the highlands and irregular piles of rock which diversify the
shore to the southeast. To this boisterous scene, the Columbia, with
its tributary waters, widening into bays as it approaches the ocean,
and studded on both sides with the Chinnook and Clatsop villages, forms
a charming contrast; while immediately beneath our feet, are stretched
the rich prairies, enlivened by three beautiful streams, which conduct
the eye to small lakes at the foot of the hills. We stopped to enjoy
the romantic view from this place, which we distinguished by the
name of Clarke’s Point of View, and then followed our guide down the
mountain. The descent was steep and dangerous: in many places the hill
sides, which are formed principally of yellow clay, has been washed
by the late rains, and is now slipping into the sea, in large masses
of fifty and an hundred acres. In other parts, the path crosses the
rugged perpendicular rocks which overhang the sea, into which a false
step would have precipitated us. The mountains are covered with a very
thick growth of timber, chiefly pine and fir; some of which, near
Clarke’s Point of View, perfectly sound and solid, rise to the height
of two hundred and ten feet, and are from eight to twelve in diameter.
Intermixed is the white cedar, or arbor vitæ, and a small quantity of
black alder, two or three feet thick, and sixty or seventy in height.
At length we reached a single house, the remains of an old Killamuck
village, situated among some rocks, in a bay immediately on the coast.
We then continued for two miles along the sand beach; and after
crossing a creek, eighty yards in width, near which are five cabins,
reached the place where the waves had thrown the whale on shore. The
animal had been placed between two Killamuck villages, and such had
been their industry, that there now remained nothing more than the
skeleton, which we found to be one hundred and five feet in length.
Captain Clarke then returned to the village of five huts, on the creek,
to which he gave the name of Ecola, or Whale creek. The natives were
all busied in boiling the blubber, in a large square trough of wood,
by means of heated stones, and preserving the oil, thus extracted, in
bladders and the entrails of the whale. The refuse of the blubber,
which still contained a portion of oil, are hung up in large flitches,
and when wanted for use, are warmed on a wooden spit before the fire,
and eaten either alone, or dipped in oil, or with roots of the rush and
shanataque. These Killamucks, though they had great quantities, parted
with it reluctantly, and at such high prices, that our whole stock
of merchandise was exhausted in the purchase of about three hundred
pounds of blubber, and a few gallons of oil. With these we set out to
return; and having crossed Ecola creek, encamped on its bank, where
there was abundance of fine timber. We were soon joined by the men of
the village, with whom we smoked, and who gave us all the information
they possessed, relative to their country. These Killamucks are part of
a much larger nation of the same name, and they now reside chiefly in
four villages, each at the entrance of a creek, all of which fall into
a bay on the southwest coast; that at which we now are, being the most
northern, and at the distance of about forty-five miles southeast of
Point Adams. The rest of the nation are scattered along the coast, and
on the banks of a river, which, as we found it in their delineations,
we called Killamuck’s river, emptying itself in the same direction.
During the salmon season they catch great quantities of that fish, in
the small creeks, and when they fail, their chief resource was the
sturgeon and other fish stranded along the coast. The elk were very
numerous in the mountains, but they could not procure many of them with
their arrows; and their principal communication with strangers, was by
means of the Killamuck river, up which, they passed to the Shocatilcum
(or Columbia) to trade for wappatoo roots. In their dress, appearance,
and indeed every circumstance of life, they differ very little from
the Chinnooks, Clatsops, and other nations in the neighbourhood. The
chief variation we have observed is in the manner of burying the dead;
the bodies being secured in an oblong box of plank, which is placed
in an open canoe, lying on the ground, with a paddle, and other small
articles of the deceased by his side.
Whilst smoking with the Indians, captain Clarke was surprised about ten
o’clock by a loud shrill outcry from the opposite village; on hearing
which, all the Indians immediately started up to cross the creek, and
the guide informed him that some one had been killed. On examination,
one of the men was discovered to be absent, and a guard despatched,
who met him crossing the creek in great haste. An Indian belonging to
another band, and who happened to be with the Killamucks that evening,
had treated him with much kindness, and walked arm in arm with him to a
tent where our man found a Chinnook squaw, who was an old acquaintance.
From the conversation and manner of the stranger, this woman discovered
that his object was to murder the white man, for the sake of the few
articles on his person, and when he rose, and pressed our man to go to
another tent where they would find something better to eat, she held
M’Neal by the blanket; not knowing her object, he freed himself from
her, and was going on with his pretended friend, when she ran out and
gave the shriek which brought the men of the village over, and the
stranger ran off before M’Neal knew what had occasioned the alarm.
Thursday, 9. The morning was fine, the wind from the northeast; and
having divided our stock of the blubber, we began at sunrise to
retread our steps, in order to reach fort Clatsop, at the distance of
thirty-five miles. We met several parties of Indians on their way to
trade for blubber and oil with the Killamucks; (our route lay across
the same mountains which we had already passed) we also overtook
a party returning from the village, and could not but regard With
astonishment the heavy loads which the women carry over these fatiguing
and dangerous paths. As one of the women was descending a steep part of
the mountain, her load slipped from her back, and she stood holding it
by a strap with one hand, and with the other supporting herself by a
bush: captain Clarke being near her, undertook to replace the load, and
found it almost as much as he could lift, and above one hundred pounds
in weight. Loaded as they were, they kept pace with us, till we reached
the saltmakers’ tents, where we passed the night, while they continued
their route.
Friday, 10. We proceeded across Clatsop river, to the place where
we had left our canoes; and as the tide was coming in, immediately
embarked for the fort, at which place we arrived about ten o’clock at
night. During their absence, the men had been occupied in hunting and
dressing skins, but in this they were not very successful, as the deer
have become scarce, and are, indeed, seen chiefly near the prairies and
open grounds, along the coast. This morning, however, there came to
the fort twelve Indians, in a large canoe. They are of the Cathlamah
nation, our nearest neighbours above, on the south side of the river.
The tia, or chief, whose name was Shahawacap, having been absent on a
hunting excursion, as we passed his village, had never yet seen us,
and we therefore showed him the honours of our country, as well as our
reduced finances would permit. We invested him with a small medal,
and received a present of Indian tobacco and a basket of wappatoo in
return, for which we gave him a small piece of our tobacco, and thread
for a fishing net. They had brought dried salmon, wappatoo, dogs,
and mats made of rushes and flags: but we bought only some dogs and
wappatoo. These Cathlamahs speak the same language as the Chinnooks and
Clatsops, whom they also resemble in dress and manners.
Saturday, 11. A party was sent out to bring in some elk killed
yesterday, and several were despatched after our Indian canoe, which
drifted away last night; but, though the whole neighbourhood was
diligently searched, we were unable to find it. This is a serious loss,
as she is much superior to our own canoes, and so light that four men
can carry her readily without fatigue, though she will carry from ten
to twelve hundred pounds, besides a crew of four. In the evening the
Cathlamahs left us, on their way to barter their wappatoo with the
Clatsops, for some blubber and oil, which these last have procured from
the Killamucks, in exchange for beads and other articles.
Sunday, 12. Our meat is now becoming scarce; we, therefore, determined
to jerk it, and issue it in small quantities, instead of dividing
it among the four messes, and leaving to each the care of its own
provisions; a plan by which much is lost, in consequence of the
improvidence of the men. Two hunters had been despatched in the
morning, and one of them, Drewyer, had before evening, killed seven
elk. We should scarcely be able to subsist, were it not for the
exertions of this most excellent hunter. The game is scarce, and
nothing is now to be seen, except elk, which to almost all the men,
are very difficult to be procured: but Drewyer, who is the offspring
of a Canadian Frenchman, and an Indian woman, has passed his life in
the woods, and unites, in a wonderful degree, the dextrous aim of
the frontier huntsman, with the intuitive sagacity of the Indian, in
pursuing the faintest tracks through the forest. All our men, however,
have indeed, become so expert with the rifle, that we are never under
apprehensions as to food, since, whenever there is game of any kind, we
are almost certain of procuring it.
Monday, 13. Captain Lewis took all the men who could be spared, and
brought in the seven elk, which they had found untouched by the wolves,
of which there are a few in the neighbourhood. The last of the candles
which we brought with us being exhausted, we now began to make others
of elk tallow. From all that we have seen and learnt of the Chinnooks,
we have been induced to estimate the nation at about twenty-eight
houses, and four hundred souls. They reside chiefly along the banks of
a river, to which we gave the same name; and which, running parallel
to the seacoast, waters a low country with many stagnant ponds, and
then empties itself into Haley’s bay. The wild fowl of these ponds, and
the elk and deer of the neighbourhood, furnish them with occasional
luxuries; but their chief subsistence is derived from the salmon and
other fish, which are caught in the small streams, by means of nets
and gigs, or thrown on shore by the violence of the tide. To these are
added some roots, such as the wild liquorice, which is the most common,
the shanataque, and the wappatoo, brought down the river by the traders.
The men are low in stature, rather ugly, and ill made; their legs being
small and crooked, their feet large, and their heads, like those of the
women, flattened in a most disgusting manner. These deformities are
in part concealed by robes made of sea-otter, deer, elk, beaver, or
fox skins. They also employ in their dress, robes of the skin of a cat
peculiar to this country, and of another animal of the same size, which
is light and durable, and sold at a high price by the Indians, who
bring it from above. In addition to these are worn blankets, wrappers
of red, blue, or spotted cloth, and some old sailors’ clothes, which
were very highly prized. The greater part of the men have guns, powder,
and ball.
The women have, in general, handsome faces, but are low and
disproportioned, with small feet and large legs and thighs, occasioned,
probably, by strands of beads, or various strings, drawn so tight
above the ancles, as to prevent the circulation of the blood. Their
dress, like that of the Wahkiacums, consists of a short robe, and a
tissue of cedar bark. Their hair hangs loosely down the shoulders and
back; and their ears, neck, and wrists are ornamented with blue beads.
Another decoration which is very highly prized, consists of figures
made by puncturing the arms or legs; and on the arm of one of the
squaws, we observed the name of J. Bowman, executed in the same way. In
language, habits, and in almost every other particular, they resemble
the Clatsops, Cathlamahs, and indeed all the people near the mouth of
the Columbia. They, however, seem to be inferior to their neighbours
in honesty as well as spirit. No ill treatment or indignity, on our
part, seems to excite any feeling, except fear; nor, although better
provided than their neighbours with arms, have they enterprise enough
to use them advantageously against the animals of the forest, nor
offensively against their neighbours; who owe their safety more to the
timidity than the forbearance of the Chinnooks. We had heard instances
of pilfering whilst we were amongst them, and therefore had a general
order, excluding them from our encampment; so that whenever an Indian
wished to visit us, he began by calling out “No Chinnook.” It may be
probable that this first impression left a prejudice against them,
since when we were among the Clatsops, and other tribes at the mouth
of the Columbia, the Indians had less opportunity of stealing, if they
were so disposed.
Tuesday, 14, we were employed in jerking the meat of the elk, and
searching for one of the canoes which had been carried off by the tide
last night. Having found it, we now had three of them drawn up out of
reach of the water, and the other secured by a strong cord, so as to be
ready for any emergency.
After many inquiries and much observation, we are at length enabled to
obtain a connected view of the nations, who reside along the coast, on
both sides of the Columbia.
To the south, our personal observation has not extended beyond the
Killamucks; but we obtained from those who were acquainted with the
seacoast, a list of the Indian tribes, in the order in which they
succeed each other, to a considerable distance. The first nation to the
south are the Clatsops, who reside on the southern side of the bay, and
along the seacoast, on both sides of Point Adams. They are represented
as the remains of a much larger nation; but about four years ago, a
disorder, to which till then they were strangers, but which seems, from
their description, to have been the small-pox, destroyed four chiefs,
and several hundreds of the nation. These are deposited in canoes, a
few miles below us on the bay, and the survivors do not number more
than fourteen houses, and about two hundred souls. Next to them along
the southeast coast, is a much larger nation, the Killamucks, who
number fifty houses, and a thousand souls. Their first establishment
are the four huts at the mouth of Ecola creek, thirty-five miles from
Point Adams; and two miles below are a few more huts; but the principal
town is situated twenty miles lower, at the entrance of a creek, called
Nielee, into the bay, which we designate by the name of Killamucks
bay. Into the same bay empties a second creek, five miles further,
where is a Killamuck village, called Kilherhurst; at two miles a third
creek, and a town called Kilherner; and at the same distance a town
called _Chishuck_, at the mouth of Killamuck river. Towerquotton and
_Chucklin_, are the names of two other towns, situated on creeks which
empty into the bottom of the bay, the last of which is seventy miles
from Point Adams. The Killamuck river is about one hundred yards wide,
and very rapid; but having no perpendicular fall, is the great avenue
for trade. There are two small villages of Killamucks settled above
its mouth, and the whole trading part of the tribe ascend it, till by
a short portage, they carry their canoes over to the Columbian valley,
and descend the Multnomah to Wappatoo island. Here they purchase
roots, which they carry down the Chockalilum or Columbia; and, after
trafficking with the tribes on its banks for the various articles which
they require, either return up the Columbia, or cross over through
the country of the Clatsops. This trade, however, is obviously little
more than a loose and irregular barter, on a very small scale; for
the materials for commerce are so extremely scanty and precarious,
that the stranding of a whale was an important commercial incident,
which interested all the adjoining country. The Killamucks have little
peculiar, either in character or manners, and resemble, in almost every
particular, the Clatsops and Chinnooks.
Adjoining the Killamucks, and in a direction S. S. E. are the Lucktons,
a small tribe inhabiting the seacoast. They speak the same language
as the Killamucks, but do not belong to the same nation. The same
observation applies to the Kahunkle nation, their immediate neighbours,
who are supposed to consist of about four hundred souls.
The Lickawis, a still more numerous nation, who have a large town of
eight hundred souls.
The Youkone nation, who live in very large houses, and number seven
hundred souls.
The Necketo nation, of the same number of persons.
The Ulseah nation, a small town of one hundred and fifty souls.
The Youitts, a tribe who live in a small town, containing not more than
one hundred and fifty souls.
The Shiastuckle nation, who have a large town of nine hundred souls.
The Killawats nation of five hundred souls collected into one large
town.
With this last nation ends the language of the Killamucks: and the
coast, which then turns towards the southwest, is occupied by nations
whose languages vary from that of the Killamucks, and from each other.
Of these, the first in order are,
The Cookoooose, a large nation of one thousand five hundred souls,
inhabiting the shore of the Pacific and the neighboring mountains.
We have seen several of this nation who were taken prisoners by the
Clatsops and Killamucks. Their complexion was much fairer than that of
the Indians near the mouth of the Columbia, and their heads were not
flattened. Next to these are,
The Shalalahs, of whom we know nothing, except their numbers, which are
computed at twelve hundred souls. Then follow,
The Luckasos, of about the same number, and
The Hannakalals, whom we estimate at six hundred souls.
This is the extent of the Indian information, and judging, as we can
do, with considerable accuracy from the number of sleeps, or days
journey, the distance which these tribes occupy along the coast, may be
estimated at three hundred and sixty miles.
On the north of the Columbia, we have already seen the Chinnooks,
of four hundred souls, along the shores of Haley’s bay, and the low
grounds on Chinnook river. Their nearest neighbours to the northeast are
The Killaxthokle, a small nation on the coast, of not more than eight
houses, and a hundred souls. To these succeed
The Chilts, who reside above Point Lewis, and who are estimated at
seven hundred souls, and thirty-eight houses. Of this nation, we
saw, transiently, a few among the Chinnooks, from whom they did not
appear to differ. Beyond the Chilts we have seen none of the northwest
Indians, and all that we learnt, consisted of an enumeration of their
names and numbers. The nations next to the Chilts, are
The Clamoitomish, of twelve houses, and two hundred and sixty souls.
The Potoashees, of ten houses, and two hundred souls.
The Pailsk, of ten houses, and two hundred souls.
The Quinults, of sixty houses, and one thousand souls.
The Chillates, of eight houses, and one hundred and fifty souls.
The Calasthorte, of ten houses, and two hundred souls.
The Quinnechant, consisting of two thousand souls.
A particular detail of the characters, manners, and habits of the
tribes, must be left to some future adventurers, who may have more
leisure and a better opportunity than we had to accomplish this object.
Those who first visit the ground, can only be expected to furnish
sketches rude and imperfect.
Wednesday, 15. Two hunting parties intended setting out this morning,
but they were prevented by incessant rain, which confined us all to the
fort.
The Chinnooks, Clatsops, and most of the adjoining nations dispose of
the dead in canoes. For this purpose a scaffold is erected, by fixing
perpendicularly in the ground four long pieces of split timber. These
are placed two by two just wide enough apart to admit the canoe, and
sufficiently long to support its two extremities. The boards are
connected by a bar of wood run through them at the height of six feet,
on which is placed a small canoe containing the body of the deceased,
carefully wrapped in a robe of dressed skins, with a paddle, and some
articles belonging to the deceased, by his side. Over this canoe is
placed one of a larger size, reversed, with its gunwale resting on
the crossbars, so as to cover the body completely. One or more large
mats of rushes or flags are then rolled round the canoes, and the
whole secured by cords usually made of the bark of the white cedar. On
these crossbars are hung different articles of clothing, or culinary
utensils. The method practised by the Killamucks differs somewhat from
this; the body being deposited in an oblong box, of plank, which,
with the paddle, and other articles, is placed in a canoe, resting on
the ground. With the religious opinions of these people we are but
little acquainted, since we understand their language too imperfectly
to converse on a subject so abstract; but it is obvious, from the
different deposits which they place by their dead, that they believe
in a future state of existence.[1]
[1] This fact is much too equivocal to warrant an inference so
important. These deposits might have been intended for nothing
more than the testimonials of surviving affection. Amongst
those savages, where the language was better understood, it
does not appear, that the Indians intended any thing more
by such sacrifices than to testify their reverence for the
dead.--EDITOR.
Thursday, 16. To-day we finished curing our meat, and having now a
plentiful supply of elk, and salt, and our houses dry and comfortable,
we wait patiently for the moment of resuming our journey.
The implements used in hunting, by the Clatsops, Chinnooks, and other
neighbouring nations, are the gun, bow and arrow, deadfall, pits,
snares, and spears or gigs. The guns are generally old American or
British muskets repaired for this trade; and although there are some
good pieces among them, they are constantly out of order, as the
Indians have not been sufficiently accustomed to arms to understand the
management of them. The powder is kept in small japanned tin flasks,
in which the traders sell it; and when the ball or shot fails, they
make use of gravel or pieces of metal from their pots, without being
sensible of the injury done to their guns. These arms are reserved
for hunting elk, and the few deer and bears in this neighbourhood;
but as they have no rifles, they are not very successful hunters.
The most common weapon is the bow and arrow, with which every man is
provided, even though he carries a gun, and which is used in every kind
of hunting. The bow is extremely neat, and being very thin and flat,
possesses great elasticity. It is made of the heart of the white cedar,
about two feet and a half in length, two inches wide at the centre,
whence it tapers to the width of half an inch at the extremities; and
the back is covered with the sinews of elk, fastened on by means of a
glue made from the sturgeon. The string is formed of the same sinews.
The arrow generally consists of two parts; the first is about twenty
inches long, and formed of light white pine, with the feather at one
end, and at the other a circular hole, which receives the second part,
formed of some harder wood, and about five inches long, and secured in
its place by means of sinews. The barb is either stone, or else of iron
or copper, in which latter place, the angle is more obtuse than any we
have seen. If, as sometimes happens, the arrow is formed of a single
piece, the whole is of a more durable wood, but the form just described
is preferred; because, as much of the game consists of wildfowl, on the
ponds, it is desirable that they should be constructed so as to float,
if they fall into the water. These arrows are kept in a quiver of elk
or young bear skin, opening not at the ends, as the common quivers,
but at the sides; which, for those who hunt in canoes, is much more
convenient. These weapons are not, however, very powerful, for many of
the elk we kill have been wounded with them; and, although the barb
with the small end of the arrows remain, yet the flesh closes, and
the animal suffers no permanent injury. The deadfalls and snares are
used in taking the wolf, the racoon, and the fox, of which there are,
however, but few in this country. The spear or gig employed in pursuit
of the sea-otter, (which they call spuck) the common otter, and beaver,
consists of two points of barbs, and is like those already described,
as common among the Indians on the upper part of the Columbia. The
pits are chiefly for the elk, and are therefore usually large and deep
cubes of twelve or fourteen feet in depth, and are made by the side of
some fallen tree lying across the path frequented by the elk. They are
covered with slender boughs and moss, and the elk either sinks into it
as he approaches the tree, or in leaping over the tree, falls into the
pit on the other side.
Friday 17. Comowool and seven other Clatsops spent the day with us. He
made us a present of some roots and berries, and in return we gave
him an awl and some thread, which he wanted for the purpose of making
a net. We were not able to purchase any more of their provisions, the
prices being too high for our exhausted stock of merchandise. One of
the Indians was dressed in three very elegant skins of the sea-otter:
for these we were very desirous of trafficking; but he refused every
exchange except that of blue beads, of which he asked six fathom for
each skin, and as we had only four fathom left, he would not accept for
the remaining two, either a knife, or any quantity of beads of another
sort.
In fishing, the Clatsops, Chinnooks and other nations near this place
employ the common straight net, the scooping or dipping net with a
long handle, the gig, and the hook and line. The first is of different
lengths and depths, and used in taking salmon, carr, and trout, in
the deep inlets among the marshy grounds, and the mouths of deep
creeks. The scooping net is used for small fish, in the spring and
summer season; and in both kinds the net is formed of silk grass, or
the bark of white cedar. The gig is used at all seasons, and for all
kinds of fish they can procure with it; so too is the hook and line, of
which the line is made of the same material as the net, and the hook
generally brought by the traders; though before the whites came, they
made hooks out of two small pieces of bone, resembling the European
hook, but with a much more acute angle, where the two pieces were
joined.
Saturday 18. We were all occupied, in dressing skins, and preparing
clothes for our journey homewards. The houses in this neighbourhood
are all large wooden buildings, varying in length from twenty to sixty
feet, and from fourteen to twenty in width. They are constructed in the
following manner. Two posts of split timber or more, agreeably to the
number of partitions, are sunk in the ground, above which they rise to
the height of fourteen or eighteen feet. They are hollowed at the top,
so as to receive the ends of a round beam or pole, stretching from one
to the other, and forming the upper point of the roof for the whole
extent of the building. On each side of this range is placed another,
which forms the eaves of the house, and is about five feet high; but
as the building is often sunk to the depth of four or five feet, the
eaves come very near the surface of the earth. Smaller pieces of timber
are now extended by pairs, in the form of rafters, from the lower
to the upper beam, where they are attached at both ends with cords
of cedar bark. On these rafters two or three ranges of small poles
are placed horizontally, and secured in the same way with strings of
cedar bark. The sides are now made with a range of wide boards, sunk a
small distance into the ground, with the upper ends projecting above
the poles at the eaves, to which they are secured by a beam passing
outside, parallel with the eavepoles, and tied by cords of cedar bark
passing through holes made in the boards at certain distances. The
gable ends and partitions are formed in the same way, being fastened by
beams on the outside, parallel to the rafters. The roof is then covered
with a double range of thin boards, except an aperture of two or three
feet in the centre, for the smoke to pass through. The entrance is by
a small hole, cut out of the boards, and just large enough to admit
the body. The very largest houses only are divided by partitions, for
though three or four families reside in the same room, there is quite
space enough for all of them. In the centre of each room is a space
six or eight feet square, sunk to the depth of twelve inches below
the rest of the floor, and inclosed by four pieces of square timber.
Here they make the fire, for which purpose pine bark is generally
preferred. Around this fireplace, mats are spread, and serve as seats
during the day, and very frequently as beds at night; there is however
a more permanent bed made, by fixing, in two or sometimes three sides
of the room, posts reaching from the roof down to the ground, and at
the distance of four feet from the wall. From these posts to the wall
itself, one or two ranges of boards are placed so as to form shelves,
on which they either sleep, or where they stow away their various
articles of merchandise. The uncured fish is hung in the smoke of their
fires, as is also the flesh of the elk, when they are fortunate enough
to procure any, which is but rarely.
Sunday 20. This morning we sent out two parties of hunters in different
directions. Soon after we were visited by two Clatsop men and a woman,
who brought several articles to trade: we purchased a small quantity
of train oil for a pair of brass armbands, and succeeded in obtaining
a sea-otter skin, for which we gave our only remaining four fathoms
of blue beads, the same quantity of white ones, and a knife: we gave
a fish-hook also in exchange for one of their hats. These are made
of cedar bark and bear-grass, interwoven together in the form of an
European hat, with a small brim of about two inches, and a high crown,
widening upwards. They are light, ornamented with various colours and
figures, and being nearly water-proof, are much more durable than
either chip or straw hats. These hats form a small article of traffic
with the whites, and the manufacture is one of the best exertions of
Indian industry. They are, however, very dexterous in making a variety
of domestic utensils, among which are bowls, spoons, scewers, spits,
and baskets. The bowl or trough is of different shapes, sometimes
round, semicircular, in the form of a canoe, or cubic, and generally
dug out of a single piece of wood, the larger vessels having holes in
the sides by way of handle, and all executed with great neatness. In
these vessels they boil their food, by throwing hot stones into the
water, and extract oil from different animals in the same way. Spoons
are not very abundant, nor is there any thing remarkable in their
shape, except that they are large and the bowl broad. Meat is roasted
on one end of a sharp scewer, placed erect before the fire, with the
other fixed in the ground. The spit for fish is split at the top into
two parts, between which the fish is placed, cut open, with its sides
extended by means of small splinters. The usual plate is a small mat
of rushes or flags, on which every thing is served. The instrument
with which they dig up roots, is a strong stick, about three feet and
a half long, sharpened and a little curved at the lower end, while the
upper is inserted into a handle, standing transversely, and made of
part of an elk or buck’s horn. But the most curious workmanship is that
of the basket. It is formed of cedar bark and bear-grass, so closely
interwoven, that it is water tight, without the aid of either gum or
resin. The form is generally conic, or rather the segment of a cone,
of which the smaller end is the bottom of the basket; and being made
of all sizes, from that of the smallest cup to the capacity of five or
six gallons, answer the double purpose of a covering for the head or
to contain water. Some of them are highly ornamented with strands of
bear-grass, woven into figures of various colours, which require great
labour; yet they are made very expeditiously and sold for a trifle. It
is for the construction of these baskets, that the bear-grass forms an
article of considerable traffic. It grows only near the snowy region
of the high mountains, and the blade, which is two feet long and about
three-eighths of an inch wide, is smooth, strong and pliant; the young
blades particularly, from their not being exposed to the sun and air,
have an appearance of great neatness, and are generally preferred.
Other bags and baskets, not water-proof, are made of cedar bark,
silk-grass, rushes, flags, and common coarse sedge, for the use of
families. In the manufactures, as well as in the ordinary work of the
house, the instrument most in use is a knife, or rather a dagger. The
handle of it is small, and has a strong loop of twine for the thumb,
to prevent its being wrested from the hand. On each side is a blade,
double-edged and pointed; the longer from nine to ten inches, the
shorter from four to five. This knife is carried about habitually in
the hand, sometimes exposed, but mostly when in company with strangers,
put under the robe.
Monday, 20. We were visited by three Clatsops, who came merely for
the purpose of smoking and conversing with us. We have now only
three days’ provision, yet so accustomed have the men become to live
sparingly, and fast occasionally, that such a circumstance excites no
concern, as we all calculate on our dexterity as hunters. The industry
of the Indians is not confined to household utensils: the great proof
of their skill is the construction of their canoes. In a country,
indeed, where so much of the intercourse between different tribes is
carried on by water, the ingenuity of the people would naturally direct
itself to the improvement of canoes, which would gradually become, from
a mere safe conveyance, to an elegant ornament. We have accordingly
seen, on the Columbia, canoes of many forms, beginning with the simple
boats near the mountains, to those more highly decorated, because more
useful nearer the mouth of the Columbia. Below the grand cataract there
are four forms of canoes: the first and smallest is about fifteen feet
long, and calculated for one or two persons: it is, indeed, by no means
remarkable in its structure, and is chiefly employed by the Cathlamahs
and Wahkiacums among the marshy islands. The second is from twenty
to thirty-five feet long, about two and a half or three feet in the
beam, and two feet in the hold. It is chiefly remarkable in having the
bowsprit, which rises to some height above the bow, formed by tapering
gradually from the sides into a sharp point. Canoes of this shape are
common to all the nations below the grand rapids.
But the canoes most used by the Columbia Indians, from the
Chilluckittequaws inclusive, to the ocean, are about thirty or
thirty-five feet long. The bow, which looks more like the stern of our
boats, is higher than the other end, and is ornamented with a sort of
comb, an inch in thickness, cut out of the same log which forms the
canoe, and extending nine or eleven inches from the bowsprit to the
bottom of the boat. The stern is nearly rounded off, and gradually
ascends to a point. This canoe is very light and convenient; for though
it will contain ten or twelve persons, it may be carried with great
ease by four.
The fourth and largest species of canoe we did not meet till we reached
tide-water, near the grand rapids below, in which place they are found
among all the nations, especially the Killamucks, and others residing
on the seacoast. They are upwards of fifty feet long, and will carry
from eight to ten thousand pounds weight, or from twenty to thirty
persons. Like all the canoes we have mentioned, they are cut out of
a single trunk of a tree, which is generally white cedar, though the
fir is sometimes used. The sides are secured by crossbars, or round
sticks, two or three inches in thickness, which are inserted through
holes made just below the gunwale, and made fast with cords. The upper
edge of the gunwale itself is about five eighths of an inch thick,
and four or five in breadth, and folds outwards, so as to form a kind
of rim, which prevents the water from beating into the boat. The bow
and stern are about the same height, and each provided with a comb,
reaching to the bottom of the boat. At each end, also, are pedestals,
formed of the same solid piece, on which are placed strange grotesque
figures of men or animals, rising sometimes to the height of five
feet, and composed of small pieces of wood, firmly united, with great
ingenuity, by inlaying and mortising, without a spike of any kind. The
paddle is usually from four feet and a half to five feet in length;
the handle being thick for one third of its length, when it widens,
and is hollowed and thinned on each side of the centre, which forms
a sort of rib. When they embark, one Indian sits in the stern, and
steers with a paddle, the others kneel in pairs in the bottom of the
canoe, and sitting on their heels, paddle over the gunwale next to
them. In this way they ride with perfect safety the highest waves,
and venture without the least concern in seas, where other boats or
seamen could not live an instant. They sit quietly and paddle, with
no other movement; except, when any large wave throws the boat on
her side, and, to the eye of a spectator, she seems lost: the man to
windward then steadies her by throwing his body towards the upper
side, and sinking his paddle deep into the wave, appears to catch the
water and force it under the boat, which the same stroke pushes on
with great velocity. In the management of these canoes the women are
equally expert with the men; for in the smaller boats, which contain
four oarsmen, the helm is generally given to the female. As soon as
they land, the canoe is generally hauled on shore, unless she be very
heavily laden; but at night the load is universally discharged, and the
canoe brought on shore.
Our admiration of their skill in these curious constructions was
increased by observing the very inadequate implements with which they
are made. These Indians possess very few axes, and the only tool
employed in their building, from felling of the tree to the delicate
workmanship of the images, is a chisel made of an old file, about an
inch or an inch and a half in width. Even of this too, they have not
yet learnt the management, for the chisel is sometimes fixed in a
large block of wood, and being held in the right hand, the block is
pushed with the left without the aid of a mallet. But under all these
disadvantages, these canoes, which one would suppose to be the work
of years, are made in a few weeks. A canoe, however, is very highly
prized: in traffic, it is an article of the greatest value, except a
wife, which is of equal consideration; so that a lover generally gives
a canoe to the father in exchange for his daughter.